Matt Cassel expected to void contract, test free agency

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel was a star for the Earthquake Kids, a Little League Baseball team that rallied the town of Northridge, Calif., after a vicious earthquake in 1994. (AP)

Matt Cassel expressed some disappointment last season about not getting more of a chance to be Minnesota's starting quarterback.

Now he can find out if the Vikings really want him.

According to multiple reports Wednesday, Cassel will void his contract for 2014 and become a free agent. That doesn't necessarily mean Cassel's time with the Vikings is done, but they would have to offer suitable money and some assurances to get him back.

Cassel, 31, had until Friday to void a contract that would have paid him $3.7 million for next season. The Vikings also had an option they could enact next month to release him or guarantee him at least $500,000 of his contract for 2014.

Cassel can now test the open market and he can see how a Minnesota deal might stack up.

The nine-year veteran was the last man standing in Minnesota's quarterback chaos last season, starting the last four games and six overall in a 5-10-1 season. Christian Ponder, now the only Vikings' quarterback under contract for next season, got nine starts and Josh Freeman one.

Coach Leslie Frazier was fired after the season and replaced by Mike Zimmer, who installed Norv Turner as his offensive coordinator.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who was not immediately available Wednesday for comment, told Pro Football Talk two weeks ago that Turner was expected to start evaluating the quarterback situation last week. It was not immediately clear how much dialogue the team's new coaching staff has had with Cassel.

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Cassel was Minnesota's only quarterback to play the key role in most of the Vikings' wins. He started in victories over Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Detroit, and led the Vikings to a win over Chicago after relieving an injured Ponder late in the second quarter. Ponder had begun the season as Minnesota's starter and was given many opportunities to keep his job despite sub-par play.

After having started games Sept. 29 against Pittsburgh and Oct. 13 against Carolina, Cassel was demoted to third string after the Vikings signed Freeman. He told the Pioneer Press at the time, “Obviously, it wasn't anything that I anticipated.”

Cassel eventually became Minnesota's starter for the final four games, and for the season completed 153 of 254 passes for 1,807 yards with 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. His highlight was throwing for 382 yards and two TDs in a 48-30 win over the Eagles on Dec. 15.

Heading into the Dec. 29 finale against Detroit, Cassel didn't deny he was auditioning for his future, whether it would be in Minnesota or elsewhere.

“I think every time you step on the field, you're auditioning,” Cassel said at the time. “Obviously, the game film is seen by every organization in the league.”

There has been a perception by many during his career that Cassel is better suited to be a backup than a starter. He was New England's backup for his first three years before throwing for a career-high 3,693 yards as the starter in 2008 because Tom Brady was lost to injury in the first game.

That season earned Cassel a six-year, $62 million contract with Kansas City in 2009. He made the Pro Bowl and steered the Chiefs to the playoffs in 2010.

But Cassel lost the starting job midway through 2012 and was waived after the season. He then signed a two-year, $7.4 million deal with the Vikings.

The quarterback situation is the biggest issue facing Zimmer. The Vikings have the No. 8 pick in the first round of the May draft, and there's a good chance they will use it on a quarterback.

As for how Cassel still could fit in, much more will be known after free agency gets underway in March.

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